Tom Bombadil is an enigma in Middle-earth; we do not know what he is
and his origin is never revealed. Tolkien did state in one of his letters that
Tom had been created long before he thought about writing the Lord of the Rings
and he put him in because he wanted an adventure for the hobbits along the way
to Rivendell. For all that, Tolkien did use Tom to make a statement about the
nature of power and domination. Tom is supposed to represent an existence whose
key desire is in understanding ONLY. He is not concerned in using this
understanding for any purpose. As such power and domination are completely
useless to him and have no meaning or effect upon him: "He is master in a
peculiar way: he has no fear, and no desire of possession or domination at all.
He merely knows and understands about such things as concern him in his natural
little realm. [He represents] the spirit that desires knowledge of other things,
their history and nature...and entirely unconcerned with `doing' anything with
the knowledge. . ." [28] And from the Council of Elrond: "Could we not
still send messages to him and obtain his help? asked Erestor. It seems that he
has a power even over the Ring. No, I should not put it so, said Gandalf. Say
rather that the Ring has no power over him. He is his own master. But he cannot
alter the Ring itself, nor break its power over others. . ." [29] The Ring
cannot effect Tom Bombadil because he is outside the whole issue of Power and
Domination; Tolkien uses Tom as an allegory that even this intense struggle
between "good and evil" is only part of the whole picture of
existence.

References [1] The Fellowship of the Ring [2] Unfinished Tales [3] The
Fellowship of the Ring [4] The Silmarillion [5] The Letters of JRR Tolkien #131
[6] The Fellowship of the Ring [7] The Silmarillion [8] Ibid [9] Ibid [10] The
Letters of JRR Tolkien #121 [11] The Silmarillion [12] Unfinished Tales [13] The
Silmarillion [14] The Fellowship of the Ring [15] The Return of the King [16]
The Silmarillion [17] The Fellowship of the Ring [18] Ibid [19] Ibid [20]
Unfinished Tales [21] The Letters of JRR Tolkien #246 [22] The Silmarillion [23]
Ibid [24] The Fellowship of the Ring [25] Ibid [26] The Silmarillion [27] The
Letters of JRR Tolkien #211 [28] Ibid #153 [29] The Fellowship of the Ring top